A GOOD AGE: Walking in John Adams' footsteps in Quincy

Nancy Dowling got hooked on President John Adams when she was raising her family in Quincy from 1982 to 2002 and trained for marathons. “As I ran, I would wonder if I was stepping on the path that John Adams followed,” she says. Now 58, Dowling is leading an effort to establish the John Adams Health Walk in the city.

Nancy Dowling got hooked on President John Adams when she was raising her family in Quincy from 1982 to 2002 and trained for marathons. “As I ran, I would wonder if I was stepping on the path that John Adams followed,” she says.

The legend of his walking four miles a day and living to nearly age 91 was family folklore. Adams was the third oldest president, after Reagan and Ford, who both made it to 93.

“I was always telling my kids we should try to discover where he walked and that they should be very proud they lived in the City of Presidents.” she says.

Her children, Elizabeth, Samantha and Matthew Bondaryk, grew up with the image of the former president out in all weather, his spirits roused and purpose re-invigorated.

Now 58, Dowling, of Canton, is leading an effort to establish the John Adams Health Walk in the city. The permanent marked trail would encourage people to walk three to four miles a day as Adams did. “I really believe that we can learn from the generations that have come before us,” she says.

On Saturday at 8 a.m. there will be a kickoff event at Pageant Field in Quincy for a public awareness campaign for the proposed trail. Mayor Thomas Koch will speak and Dowling has visions of similar historic health walks in other communities.

“Quincy is blessed and it is a perfect combination of health and history that I think can be duplicated around the country.”

This past July 2 (the day in 1776 that the Declaration of Independence was signed), Dowling and a group of friends began doing a weekly walk around the different historical properties associated with Adams in the city. They will continue until Oct. 30, his birthday.

They meet at 8:15 a.m. Saturdays at Faxon Park, and while pinning down Adams’ exact routes has been elusive, they follow paths they believe he might have gone, including Peacefield at Adams National Historical Park. Often they trade Adams anecdotes as they walk.

Dowling has also enlisted the support of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, where she works as a health coach. She is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. She is also building support among other local political figures, historians and businesses.

That Adams nearly made it to age 91 impresses her. “I believe that although genetics played a big role, his daily walk contributed to his longevity,” she said. “He didn’t have the benefit of medications we have today.”

The committee members include co-chair Jean Shea, RN; Dowling’s husband, Robert Bondaryk, and their three children; Gail Callahan; Dr. Hanpu Chao, a Quincy pediatrician; Rita Devlin, RN; and Bill Walczak, who is running for mayor of Boston.

“It is a very fitting idea for people who live in Quincy, for something to do,” Chao said.

Page 2 of 2 - Quincy Historical Society Executive Director Ed Fitzgerald told her that in Adams’ day, traveling by horse, horse-and-buggy or train was actually quite a task. For short, local trips, walking was easier.

“Let history be our guide” is Dowling’s refrain.

Reach Sue Scheible at scheible@ledger.com, 617-786-7044, or The Patriot Ledger, Box 699159, Quincy 02269-9159. Read her Good Age blog on our website. Follow her on Twitter @ sues_ledger. READ MORE Good Age columns.